New Adventures Await

For those that follow us on Facebook you already know what adventure I am talking about but for those that don’t know. As of June 30th the kids and I will be Home Free.

We will be living a non traditional life as nomads in a van until I am able to get us back into a non moving home if that should be the case. I should say that I am not one to do much of anything traditionally but this is even new for me.

The van or Ferret Chariot 2 is pretty much outfitted for travel and pets it seems as all of the normal places a pet might try to hide has been closed off. 

So I will be putting into long term use the knowledge I have gained over the years of traveling to Blog Paws and who knows maybe this will add a different dimension to the blog.

I do know that Marcuz and Marylin will be updating their travel blog on Facebook more often now.

If you would like to donate towards us either getting a solid home or just some gas money you can do it one of two ways. You can donate using the donation button here on the blog or you can donate through the Go Fund Campaign.

I have a week of work coming up and then we will be headed to Kentucky to see a friend or two before heading towards D.C. Want us to stop and see you leave a comment below. Sorry we can’t come to California.

Jo

Ferret Plan a Bust

Two weeks ago I told you about my plan to get me to Blog Paws this year.  I set an extremely high goal of selling 300 stuffed ferrets at a reduced price between 27-50% off of the normal price thinking that many would jump at the chance.
I've had a lot of oohs and awwws, how cute, adorable, ect. but only one buyer. So while I will continue to sew these adorable little ones the price has to go back up starting on Sunday March 30th.
For those attending Blog Paws I will still offer free shipping as I am still working towards getting there somehow. Those that have talked to me about custom ferrets I will let you know the price of those ferrets as they have always been different due to the fact that the material is supplied from other sources.
So until Sunday these guys and any listed on the Enlightened Ferret Fashion's  Face book page are still $10 and Angel $16 each then the prices will revert to the $20 and Angel $22 prices and they will be listed either in the Ferret Fabulous Finds Auction House on Face book or on Etsy.

See someone here you love and want to have you can email me at enlightenedferret@hotmail.com for adoption information. Please let me know if you are attending Blog Paws in the email or if you live outside of the United States.

Steel

Betsy

Charcoal

Chip

Sweet Little Hearts Adopted

Jeffery Adopted

Leopold Adopted

Angel ADOPTED

Rainbow

Razamataz

Regina

Seabert

Tony
Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

Sponsorship

Getting sponsorship can be downright hard and very time consuming. I know this from experience but sometimes you can forget that even one small gesture can be sponsorship.

I’ve been able to attend the last two Blog Paws because someone paid for my registration and I was able to room with a fantastic person.

While Salt Lake Blog Paws was a great event, I ended up with a bad migraine that left me off balance and very much off my game. I forgot to thank my friends for their generosity and it wasn’t until I was called on the carpet when I got my first hotel room sponsorship from a different source. Something I plan to fix when I see my two friends this time in Washington D.C. in May.

I’ve heard that many people want to go to Blog Paws this year but don’t know how to swing the funds.

My advice is to decide what companies you would like to work with and how you benefit them.

What do you like about the company that you are willing to promote that will show them in a good light to others?

The biggest thing to remember is not what is in it for you but what does sponsoring you get them.

Have you worked with them before? If so, bring that up and tell them you would like to be their representative at Blog Paws or the event you want to go to.

Not all companies can afford to give you a full ride so break down what each part of the conference cost. Registration, Travel expense, Hotel are the big three and if one company can only pay for one part then see if another can pick up another part and see if you can help them out some with your own funds.

Check out the Blog Paws Community for rides and roomies.

If you are lucky enough to be sponsored make it a point to thank them in every post that deals with Blog Paws or whatever event they are sending you to.

Learn how to link to parts of their site to allow others to see why you like the company. Show the company what social media can do for them if they don’t have their own blog, Facebook, or twitter account you might become their correspondent on these platforms.

Expect to hear the word No a lot.

I have several emails that say that in both polite and hostile ways. If you get one that says not at this time return to that company later remind them who you are and what you bring to the table. Maybe all you will get is an offer to work with you only on your blog or do a guest post on the company’s blog it is a start but it will get you noticed.

If you do get a nasty no take a deep breath and walk away from your email and let the emotions out in some other form than writing back in anger.

The person on the other end may have gotten some rotten news and is taking it out on the first email they get. We don’t know what is going on in that person’s life at that moment it is just best to put that email away in a folder or the trash can and move on to the next company you want to work with.

Think outside the box while a tired and overused saying still has merit in the world of sponsorship.

What ideas have you used to get to an event?

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo

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Pet Blogger’s Challenge 2012

This is our first time in taking part of this challenge hosted by Go Pet Friendly and Will My Dog Hate Me This challenge is to help focus where we want to go in the coming year.

1. When did you begin your blog?

June of 2009

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?

To help others understand ferrets and help new or prospective owners understand what having a ferret entailed.

3. Is your current purpose the same?

Yes but it is a lot more in depth that I originally had it.

If so, how do you feel you’ve met your goals?

I hadn’t set any kind of goals really with my blog. But I do feel that it has helped some people learn more about ferrets.


4. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?

I try to blog on a schedule but sometimes life gets in the way.
If the former, how often — and what techniques do you use to stick to it?

I am trying to blog Monday thru Friday. By only having two informational posts, two featured ferret posts, and the wordless Wednesday posts I have found that I am able to keep up with my posting schedule.

5. Are you generating income from your blog?

Not at this time.

If not currently, do you hope to in the future — and how? I have mixed thoughts on this. While I would like to have an income from my blog I don’t want to fill it up with a bunch of ads either. I want to put the ads where I want on my blog and not where someone else dictates.

6. What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular (bragging is good!)?

I like doing the research into some of the more unusual aspects of owning a ferret. One of my favorite posts is about heartworms. While it is a horrible parasite it was interesting to find that ferrets can be affected by them. If that post helps just one pet owner then I am happy.

7. What do you like least?

Trying to do the hmtl on blogger. The program I used to use doesn’t work anymore with my new laptop so have to do all my posts by hand.

8. How do you see your blog changing/growing in 2012?

By gaining more followers and getting the attention of sponsors and other companies looking to get some face time.

I also see Enlightened Ferret being at BlogPaws and Bark World Expo this year.
I would love to do some interviews with people that have dealt with the different aspects of ferrets.

I would also like to see Manny and Marcuz’ facebook page Enlightened Ferret Travels gain in popularity and maybe even attract the notice of a travel related company willing to have ferrets as their spokes pet.

Have a Chittering Good Day,

Jo